Bert elet



C. V. A. ELEY.

COLLISION MAT FOR USE ON SHIPS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 31. 1918.

1 309,022. Patented July 8, 1919.

Tm: coLums A Pumoulmml 20.. WASHINGTON. D. c.

PATENT 0FFIE.-

COLLISION-MAT ron U'sni 01v SHIPS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJlrly-8,1919.

To all whomitmay'conccrn: v 7

Be it known that I, Gniannns VIGT'ORAIL- BERT ELEY, a subject of" the-King, of Great Britain, residing at 10 Cambridge @res'cent,

Edgbaston, Birmingham, in the county of Warwick, England, have invented a new and'useful Collision-Mat for Use on Ships; and I do hereby decl'are-thefollowing to'be a full, clear, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to collision mats for use on ships and refers'moreparticu larly to that class of such which comprises a sheet of rubber or equivalent material to whicharesecured a number of parallel bars adapted to bridge a hole in a ship and" permitting-the mat to be rolled upwhen not in use.

The main object of the invention is to provide a mat which is more efficient in use and more easily placed'in position; and in accordance therewith it comprises a sheet of a rubber or equivalent material and a number of flat spring stri s to which-are connected a series of plan s and there are preferably also provided a number of metal tubes or their equivalents for reinforcement of the planks. The collision mat is provided withsuitable means of suspension, and the parts arepreferably so arranged thatthe mat can be rolled up when not-in use.

A further feature of the invention relates to means whereby two or more mats may be joined together so as to function as one large mat when required for use with large holes. One edge of the mats is for this purpose provided with projections or spigots and the other edge with sockets or tubes, two mats being joined together by engiag ing the spigots of one mat with the soc ets of another mat.

Referring to the drawings Fi ure 1, is an outer face View of two collision mats according to this invention, slightly separated but indicating the manner in which the two mats are to be joined to 'ether.

Fig. 2', is a side elevation of same in its operative condition.

Fig. 3, is a similar view rolled up as when not in use. I

Fig; 4, is an enlarged sectional view showing the manner in which the adjacent ends of two mats are detachably connected to; gether.

spaced at suitable distances apart. ries' of wooden planks-3: are secured to said;

Figi. 5, is" a side elevation showing the manner in which the mat-may be" secured to vertical girders vemployed to bridge a horizontally disposed hole of length greater than" the width of tl lemat Fig. 6, is a plan of part of same:

one construction of mat accord-ing to this invention and as'shown upon the ac- Y companyin-g' drawingsjthe rubber or equlvalent sheetl has attached on one faceverticalor approximately vertical fla'tispringsfl'j springs so that they run at an angle, prefererably a right angle," to the same, these planks being spaced suitable distances apart or disposed close together. The collision mat is suspended inposition on; the hull-1 or other part of the vesseland-is normally rolled up, as seen in- Fig. 3, and retained'in its rolled condition by suitable fastenings (not shown). The position of the colli sion mat is such that the'rubber sheet will face the hull. When-the fastenings are released the collision mat will unroll even when immersed in water so' as'to cover a 2 hole in the hull while the'wooden planks* serve to bridge the hole.

The steel springs may'have imparted to them a natural curvature correspondingap: proximately with thecurvature ofthe-hull or a'particu-larpart'of the hull an'dthecol lision mat therefore falls, when released, to a configuration approximately correspond-- ing with that of the hull, the pressureof the water on the outside of the mat forcing it to a curvature corresponding with that of the hull.

The wooden planks are preferably arranged to run horizontally from end to end of the collision mat as shown.

Tothe wooden planks there may be longitudinally secured steel tubes 45, rods, or the like for the purpose of reinforcing said planks.

Means may be provided on the collision mats for connecting adjacent collision mats together. These means may consist of projections on some or all of the ends of the tubes or the like and sockets on the other ends thereof, such projections and sockets being-so arranged that they can be engagedor telescoped to connect two or more collision mats together as shown in Fig. 42.- 'W'here tubes are employed, the bores of the same may serve as sockets at one end. Cotter pins as 5 may be employed for securing the projections and sockets in engagement.

A suitable means of suspension consists of staples (not shown) secured upon the hull and hooks 6 provided at the top of the collision mat to engage the staples. The hooks are preferably arranged to lie in the plane of the rubber sheet for the purpose of bringing the latter as closely as possible against the hull of the vessel and may be conveniently secured to the springs 2.

The wooden planks permit screws to be inserted in them from the interior of the vessel for the purpose of securing the mat to interior plates.

When required for use with holes of greater horizontal length than the width of the mat, the mat may be attached to vertical girders as 8 which are used to bridge the hole. As shown in Figs. 5 and 6 one or more, say two, girders 8 of channel section are secured to the mat by bolts as 9, and the girders provided with ropes 10 whereby the mats may be suspended over the side of the vessel.

In a modified construction of mat the springs are omitted and the mat provided with projections or spigots at one vertical edge and with tubular sockets at the other edge, or other equivalent means, whereby two or more mats may be connected together so as to function as one large mat.

It will be understood that I do not desire myself to be limited to any particular type of means for securing the mat to the hull, but that I may employ any convenient construction for accomplishing this result.

What I claim then is:-

1. In a collision mat for use on ships the combination of a sheet of resilient material; a plurality of fiat springs secured thereto tending to keep the mat flat but permittin it to be rolled up; and a plurality of rigi members secured transversely to said springs; substantially as set forth.

2. In a collision mat for use on ships the combination of a sheet of resilient material; a plurality of flat springs secured thereto tending to keep the mat flat but permitting it to be rolled up; a plurality of rigid members secured transversely to said springs; and a reinforcing tube along each of said rigid members, each tube having a projection at its one end adapted to engage with a socket end of another tube to enable a plurality of mats to be united together.

3. In a collision mat for use on ships the combination of a sheet of resilient material; a plurality of flat springs secured thereto tending to keep the mat fiat but permitting it to berolled up; a plurality of rigid members secured transversely to said springs;

and vertically disposed girder members secured to said rigid members.

4. In a collision mat for use on ships the combination of a sheet of resilient material; a plurality of fiat springs secured thereto tendingto keep the mat fiat but permitting it to be rolled up; a plurality of rigid members secured transversely to said springs; a reinforcing tube along each of said rigid members, each tube having a projection at its one end adapted to engage with a socket end of another tube to enable a plurality of mats to be united together; and vertically disposed irder members secured to said rigid mem ers.

5. In a collision mat for use on ships the combination of a sheet of resilient material; a plurality of flat springs secured thereto tending to keep the mat fiat but permitting it to be rolled up; a plurality of rigid members secured transversely to said springs; and means for suspending it over the side of a ship.

6. In a collision mat for use on ships the combination of a sheet of resilient material; a plurality of flat springs secured thereto tending to keep the mat flat but permitting it to be rolled up; a plurality of rigid members secured transversely to said springs; a reinforcing tube alongeach of said rigid members, each tube having a projection at its one end adapted to engage with a socket end of another tube to enable a plurality of mats to be united together;

vertically disposed girder members securedto said rigid members; and means for suspending it over the side of a ship.

7 In a collision mat for use on ships the combination of a sheet of resilient material;

.a plurality of parallel and rigid members secured to said resilient material whereby the mat has flexibility in the one direction and rigidity in a direction at right angles thereto; and a reinforcing tube along each of said rigid members, each tube having a. projection at its one end adapted to engage with a socket end of another tube to enable a plurality of matsto be united together.

8. In a collision mat for use on ships, the combination of a sheet of resilient material; a plurality of parallel and rigid members secured to said resilient material whereby the mat has flexibility in the vertical direction and rigidity in the horizontal direction; and means on said mat whereby a plurality of similar mats may be united together so as to function as one large mat having the character of a single mat and increased in length in the direction of its rigidity.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

CHARLES V. A. ELEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G. 

